Paul & Stephanie

Father's Day!

2010-06-20T23:24:00.003-04:00

Dear friends!

Today I pondered much on being a father meant. It's not like I am one or ever will be :)!
But having lost mine 15 years ago to cancer, I wondered what it would be like having him around in my life in this stage of my life.

The Lord comforted me and reminded me that He is my father and is a Father to the fatherless (Psalm 68:5). If I take the Lord as THE example of what a Father is, here is what it would look like: a Protector, a Provider, a Servant, One who loves and cares about all of our joys, sorrows, worries and exciting events in His children lives. He wants to be part of all of our lives and see us through it all!

With that in mind I thought lots about my dad. he loved us and provided and protected but he was special because My heavenly father had lend him to me for a time to shape me in the woman I am today. While he reflected my heavenly father's love for me, he also teased me and enjoyed every stage of my life (well not all I'm sure) with me. He enjoyed skiing and playing backgammon with me and He loved hockey and also his Football! He encouraged me when I went to Europe in 1995, and celebrated with me when I graduated high school. I remember throwing ball with him on our lawn as a child, and I remember when he would come home from work and ask about our days. He was always interested in our lives. However, the one thing that I hold dear is something not every daughter gets to share with her father and that is our birthday! Yes I was born on his b-day!

I loved my father and keep him close to my heart to this day. Even if sometimes I wonder why he was taken from me, I am reminded that my heavenly father is Good and knows the number of our days. 'He gives and takes away, he gives and takes away, but my heart will chose to say blessed be His name...Blessed be the name of the Lord! (song we sang today at church).

I love you dad!

Steph

Prayers for a friend

2010-06-18T07:28:00.002-04:00

Dear friends!

I feel compelled to write today as I ponder on a friend of mine, who is having heart surgery this morning in London, ON.

Not so long ago, say September 20th 2006, I was in her situation awaiting to be taken down to the surgical floor. While I was sitting in my hospital bed in Montreal, praying that God would find favor in me and heal me, a friend in Thunder Bay organized a prayer vigil for me and many gathered praying for me. That day a huge peace came over me and my husband Paul. I am a living testimony that prayer works!

Coming back to my friend, she has had several surgeries over the years but not on her heart. I can appreciate and fully understand if you find the wait overbearing and nerve wracking. I can relate with you. Keep your eyes unto the Lord because He delights in his children.

The first piece of scripture I thought of as I was praying for you this morning was "The Lord is My Shepherd, I shall not be in want. (That means you already have everything in Him) He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul." When we give our lives up to the Lord he can restore it and us and he takes great pleasure in showing his Beauty and Love through us! You are blessed my friend to have a savior as sweet and as powerful as Jesus. You have the Lion and the Lamb on your side!

As for her family who awaits by her side, these scriptures apply to you as well. Remember that her life is in the best hands and that Jesus is the Great physician today. He is in control and nothing escapes him. Find peace in His love where I know your family's foundation lies.

I love you all, Paul and I are praying for you and Let the Lord of the Universe comfort you this day!

In Christ we are more than conquerors!

Is Jesus useful or Beautiful?

2010-04-03T10:33:00.002-04:00

Hello!

1 day left before we celebrate the resurrection of Christ!

Paul and I traveled yesterday to visit my mom and Rick at their beautiful home in the eastern Townships of Montreal. What a blessing this weather has been! Sunny and upwards of 28 degrees! I have never seen that in the beginning of April!

On our way here, we listened to a sermon by Timothy Keller who was talking about How God ought to shape our lives and not us fit God in our comfortable lives. It is easy to do the latter in the western way of life! At one point, He challenges us to think about why we would Love God's Mercy, Power and Wisdom and how all three characteristics are useful to us but If we focus on The Beauty or in other words His Holiness, we would be awestruck by his beauty and there is no other motives for us to worship Him besides desiring to be closer and to have more of Him. Out of that love for Him comes the outflow of our deeds as we desire to share Him with others!

Well, here in the country, we hear His creation just shouting out His name all day! It is beautiful and I thoroughly enjoy the smell and the sight of my surroundings. To be close to my mom and Rick is definitely a treat and we enjoy spending time with them. we will be going to the gym and to the sugar shack to celebrate Spring, a Quebec tradition and we will enjoy their property and Monty their dog for the rest of the day!

Tomorrow we will be spending time with my sister, Dominique and my mom and Rick and go to church and go for a nice long walk!

Happy Easter and let's Keep Jesus at the center of our lives!

In Christ and with Love,

Stephanie

Jesus' Humanity

2010-04-01T05:42:00.005-04:00

"I am thirsty!"

After taking care of forgiving those who were mocking him and killing him, after he promised salvation to the repentant thief on the cross, and after he took care of His mother, we see Jesus turning his attention on His own suffering:" I am thirsty!" The book of John says that the reason why Jesus was thirsty was to fulfill Scripture (the old Testament). Everything that was prophesied about Jesus up to this point had been fulfilled right up to the last detail of the last drink he was offered: Vinegar and Hyssop. " Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said,"I am thirsty". (John 19:28)

In order for Jesus to reconcile man to God, in order to be the perfect sacrifice for the atonement of our sins, Jesus HAD to be one of us. He had to be fully Human. The fact that he was thirsty shows us just how much he entered into our humanity. He also had to be human to fully sympathize with our sufferings as he had suffered and had been tempted in every way!

Hebrews 4:15 says: " For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are- yet was without sin.
16- Let us then approach the throne of Grace with confidence, so that we may received mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

I challenge us today to go to Jesus boldly and finding Peace knowing we are restored in Him and through Him!

And if you don't have a personal relationship with Jesus, where He knows your name and knows you intimately, than i would encourage you to ask Him to be your Lord and Savior today and bring your sin to Him so he cleanse you and Free you from the bondage that sin holds on you! He has paid the price and is waiting for you to invite Him in.

Have a wonderful day!

Stephanie

The Prayer Experience

2010-03-31T06:58:00.002-04:00

Good morning!

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30

Sometimes at this time of year, we carry burdens with us that we should leave at the Cross. We are troubled by this world and wonder why we have to endure this side of Heaven. Let's take heart in knowing that as we confess our sins to Jesus we are freed from the bondage of sin. We can turn our hearts towards Jesus as the author and perfecter of our faith. All this thanks to Jesus dying on the cross and his resurrection.

Last night, Paul and I went to our church's Prayer Experience. They had 8 different stations.

Station 1 was about the crown of thorns that Jesus had to wear on his path to the crucifixion. We could touch branches full of thorns and have an idea of what he had to suffer. The presence of the thorn branches made the experience very real!

Station 2 was very moving: THE CROSS
We were encourage to write a sin down on a piece of paper and take a nail and nail our sin to the Cross. This was a two fold experience:1- that Jesus had to pay for my sins by being nailed to the cross, and 2- that I was completely forgiven of that sin and was no longer slave to it because Jesus took it from me! This station moved me very much

Station 3 was The Vinegar
We were asked to take a Q-Tip and dip it in vinegar and put it on our tongue, just like Jesus was offered Vinegar while he was carrying His cross. This was to taste the bitterness of our sins and to reflect on the sweet Love of Jesus!

Station 4 was the Confession
We took a dice and the number of dots that we would get were the number of things we needed to confess that was keeping us from seeking after The Father. This was very meaningful to me as well. To be brought right before God because of the confession of my sins is very refreshing. It is hard to admit and be at a place where you can go to your Heavenly Father and lay your sins down, and see the objects of your affections and ask for them to be changed to JESUS CHRIST.

Station 5 was writing your name
Wriitng my name on big whiteboard was to be reminded of God's everlasting Love and if one has accepted Jesus as Savior of their own life and their personal sin than he will NEVER be forgotten. Each one of us wrote a a thank you note to our Lord and Savior. This was to take from the passage in the Bible where the thief on the Cross says to Jesus: "Jesus, remember me in your kingdom. "

Station 6 was the tearing of the curtain
In order to get to the next station we needed to tear the curtain ad behind was an Easle with a passage of scripture and different cloths. I was able to rejoice that we can now boldly come to the Throne of Grace thanks to Jesus' death and how He tore the curtain of the Temple and basically invited EVERYBODY to confess their sins and be freed by HIM directly. At His death we did not need any more Priests and high priests to intercede for us, because Jesus became our High Priest!

Station 7 was Communion
Paul and I broke bread together (It's an actual loaf that you break!) and drank the wine (juice really) and we were able to worship Jesus Together! It was beautiful!

Station 8 was being the light of the world!
It was a very unique experience to be at that station. There was a big mirror with candles and what the station was about is that throughout the evening, the other stations prepared us for being the light to the World because the light is in us through the Holy Spirit. That by communing with God and seeking after forgiveness and for His love we come to a place where He wants us for service and to be light in a dark world!

You see, like I said yesterday in my other blog, God the Father made me not because he needed me but because He wanted to share Himself with me and show me how loved I am. In and of Himself, He can display his glory better without me. But we are created to worship him and enjoy Him forever. It is because of His love for me that I am enabled to serve Him. Not because I first loved Him but because He first loved us!

The father did not just make me in my mother's womb (Psalm 139) but He bought me with a price! he bought back what was rightfully His! WOW! Now THAT is love my dear friends!

My Chains fell off. I've been set free!

On these words I bid you a very wonderful day!

Stephanie

Seeking Jesus at the Cross

2010-03-30T06:58:00.002-04:00

Good morning!

I have been reading a book called "The Heart of the Cross" by James Montgomery Boice and Philip Graham Ryken. That is where I am getting my inspiration from this week. I strongly recommend it to anyone who desires the Cross to be the Center of their lives. By this I don't mean that we go to the Cross and wait and not live the life that God has given us, but to satiate our thirst for knowing our Lord and Savior(If that is even possible)!

This weekend, I was reading about the plagues in the time of Moses and how God was showing His Beauty and power through Moses. It struck me when there came the plagues of the frogs that once The Lord stopped the frogs from invading houses and lands that He kept His promise and all of the frogs fell to the ground and died. 3 things struck me, 1- God does not need us to show his Greatness in all the land, which means that 2-God gave us the gift of life so that we could enjoy fellowship with him and taste of His Mercy and Love, and 3- That God can take my life away just like those frogs. It made me realize just how fragile life is, yet if I keep my eyes on Jesus, My life is secure! God gives life, and God takes it away.

When we look at Luke's passage of the crucifixion, we see that there are 2 thieves hung on each sides of Jesus. Both of them ask for salvation. The unrepentant thief mocks Jesus like the crowd below and is only thinking about himself and how he wants to live the here and now: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!" He does not see passed the present. He is talking of a physical salvation and he asks with his lips.
The second thief realizes that he got what he deserves and rebukes the other Thief: "Don't you fear God since we are under the same sentence? We are punished Justly but, for we are getting what are deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong. And then he said 'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." This passage is powerful for 2 reasons: 1- The repentant Thief admits that he is a sinner and also admits that Jesus is God and 2- He sets his mind on the future and asks Jesus to remember him in the life to come. He came to Jesus with His whole heart and met him at the cross. He did not want to be saved from this life, He wanted to be saved from all of his sin and believed in the unseen, Christ's Kingdom.

This passage reflects what we should do when we go to the cross. In this passage, the thief pays for his sins but we don't have to pay for ours. We don't have to hang on a cross or be judged for our imperfections in this world because Jesus payed the price for them on the Cross!

I challenge you all to take a moment and think of your life and bring it all before the Cross and surrender it all to Him; your treasures, your worries and most of all your hopes and dreams. It is so much more secure in His hands than in your own!

Let's meet together at the cross and share our burdens with our Savior!

Easter Week!

2010-03-29T07:38:00.003-04:00

Hello Family and friends!

I have been pondering all week end on the marvelous Love of Jesus. His empowering Love which pierced through our hearts and continues to do so every day. More so, His sacrificial Love that we are preparing to celebrate in less than a week from now!

Let us be reminded of Jesus' words on the cross: "Forgive them Father for they do not know what they are doing."

If I was hanging from a tree with nails pierced in my hands and feet and people mocking me below, it would not be my first reaction to forgive those who were hurting me. THAT is how we know that Jesus is truly God.

Let us be reminded of His great Love for us and the cost that comes with true forgiveness! As we believe in Christ and The Salvation he offered on that Cross, it may not have been costly to us but it was costly for Our Lord. It would not have been JUST for God the Father to have no payment for our sins...Only we did not pay for them. In THIS truth do I rejoice and find Peace, and yet feel sad for my sweet Lord and his sufferings.

Thank you Father for forgiving me and considering me your child on the basis of your perfect Son's sacrifice on the Cross. Help me find TRUE meaning in my life on that Truth alone. That gratitude would be the fruit of a thankful heart.

Happy Easter week and let us find strength at Jesus' Feet!

Stephanie!

A Tribute to my Grandfather

2010-01-25T20:43:00.005-05:00

Paul and Steph in Tallahassee, Fl (Christmas 2009)

Hello dear friends!

I endeavor in this New Year 2010 to try something new: I will develop my creative side and share with you different topics that have either been happening or simply have been prevalent in my thoughts.

On this January 25th 2010, I remember my grandfather Richard E. Pare as he would be celebrating his birthday today! He would have been 90 years old! I love and miss him! Unfortunately I have not found a digitized picture to post of him. He passed in 1991 and has shaped my life in many ways. I can thank my grandfather for the job I have today: He taught me most of my English as he refused to speak to me in French growing up! He loved his wife, his grandchildren, his entire extended family (As his family was VERY large-8 siblings) and loved Jesus very dearly.

He enjoyed many sports, participating or simply watching. I will always remember my father and him watching football together. He also never missed a game of Tennis! He loved sitting on his balcony in the country and watching the sunsets in the summer time. He was a peaceful man with many passions and I always new he loved me and my sisters very much.

That is just a glimpse of my grandfather's life in a nutshell through the eyes of a 13 yrs old. How very little do I know of my grandfather and yet I know that I have a part of him in me! That is comforting.

While I have a very limited knowledge about my grandfather, the same goes for my knowledge of my Saviour! How comforting to know that even if I know him very little, He still loves me and shines through me!

I am constantly seeking after Him who sought me first! He is my constant and will always remain my rock!

Jude 1:24-25

" To Him (The Lord) who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy-to the only God our Saviour be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore!
Amen!"

Until next time,

I bid you good night!

Giving Thanks!

2009-10-12T16:01:00.017-04:00

Paul and Steph at the Dicksons !

Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children, and walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God...(Ephesians5:1-2)...Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus. ( Ephesians 5:20)

Paul and I want to give thanks to our all of you, our friends and family who continue to uphold us in prayer and continue to bear witness in our lives of the TRUE love of Christ. On this week end of Thanksgiving, we acknowledge everyone who has brought so many blessings into our lives! We would not be where we are today if it wasn't for your love and support and of course, our heavenly Father's grace on our lives. Thank you for serving us, thank you for ministering alongside us, thank you for sharing your lives with us, thank you for crying with us and laughing with us. Thank you for sharing meals with us, thank you for taking care of the ones we love so much, thank you for praying for us, thank you for taking time for us and loving us in your own special way, and thank you for speaking truth and wisdom in our lives. You are all very special to us and we are grateful to have been involved in your lives in one way or another.

We want to thank our heavenly father for having provided us with everything we need in Toronto, especially a very unique church family who are already demonstrating God's love to us in many ways! We give him all the praise for equipping us with everything we need to overcome our journey from Thunder Bay to Toronto with Joyful hearts!

I will continue the story of our journey to Toronto at a later date but for now here are a few people among many who have impacted our lives in this past year! Please note that it would be impossible to have a picture of everyone who has been present in our lives... and therefore either from a lack of pictures or out of respect for some individuals who prefer not being seen on camera this display of pictures will surely not portray everyone we are thankful for.

Peter (Paul's brother) and Paul at High Falls, Thunder Bay, Peter we have been so blessed by you! your friendship means so much to us! You would take your shirt off for anyone who needs it! How precious you are!

Trudi, Mackenzie-Skye & Poul-Erik Binderup, you are dear
friends of ours and consider you sisters and bother! Thank you for loving us!

Carla, Trudi, Mona and Shannon (From left to right to bottom). To the women who spoke into my life, who made themselves vulnerable and who gave me courage, thank you!

Paul, Steph, Angie Hedrick, Rod Kapitan, Alicia Hedrick, Justin Hedrick, Sky Hedrick and Richard Lebar. To our friends who minstered alongside us and served the Lord and who invested in our lives, Thank you!

Steph and Michele A.K.A Mom! Merci maman pour ta presence continuelle et ton amour si radiant! Je t'aime!

Mackenzie-Skye and Sarah Vanderleest! Sarah, you have been my friend through thick and thin and I thank you for your valuable friendship even through this move I feel you close to me! Thank you! Mackenzie-Skye, well, you are Paul and I's little sunshine! Keep on shinning for Christ!

Steph Abronzo and Dan Muzzin! Thank you for sharing your lives with us in the past year or so! You are fun to be around and have let us in your lives! Thanks guys!

So thanks to all of you who were not shown in pictures! You mean so very much to both Paul and I!

Have a happy Thanksgiving !

The Journey

2009-09-23T21:49:00.009-04:00

Paul and Stephanie In front of Don Cherry's Restaurant in Sudbury

Greetings to all of our friends and family!

I have been thinking of my blog every since last Wednesday when I last blogged. I have been strangely longing to get back into the writing mode. Whether it would be free verse or simply conversing with you about our journey to Oakville, ON, which ended up being Paul's home during his studies at Sheridan College in Media Arts before we met! Ever since then, Paul had a desire to return to Oakville and here we are. God can hear the simplest of wishes! But to share with you how we got here I will start with our move down.
Paul and I rented a U-Haul to move down. We desired to bring a little bit of Thunder Bay to Oakville so we thought what better way than to make a transition from our home, where we met, got married and lived for the last 5 years, and Oakville, the new place, full of adventure and growth. We both felt like we were leaving a part of ourselves in Thunder Bay. What comforted us was the certainty that God was leading the way and that even if we didn't know what the next step was, He did, and that was all that mattered. Of course, on my part, it helped that I was getting closer to my mother!

However Don't be fooled! As we distanced ourselves from our home, we realized that it was much harder to keep our eyes ahead than it was to look back at what we were leaving behind. Paul and I took time to reminisced about our time with our family and the times spent with friends.
When we arrived in Toronto, it hit us both in different ways but nonetheless, it hit hard as we realized how woven we were with our dear ones back home. I guess that is why we call ourselves "The Body of Christ": the heart cannot function without the head and the foot cannot function without the leg. We are all connected by the Spirit of Christ. As some of you might have heard me say this before, it was like cutting the umbilical cord: hard to let go of the past, but still full of God's goodness ahead which we would be fools not to embrace and trust Him for what lies before us.

Here are a few pic from our trip down.

Some glances at nature on our way to Southern Ontario...

As we travelled South, the vegetation became more lush!

Paul in front of Don Cherry's NHL team photo in the Restaurant!And if anybody asks...Yes! It did rain the entire trip down! Well almost...

Until soon my friends and with Love and prayer, I pray that you would seek wholeheartedly after the Truth!

Steph

A walk in the woods!

2009-09-16T18:18:00.014-04:00

Hello everyone!

Today was a weird day for me. I felt as though I could conquer the world and then I was reminded of how I don't have it all together. I guess the lesson to learn is that I don't have it all together but there is one who does and has enabled me to come back on this page and recommit to the pouring of my heart in writing to whomever cares to read. Since I can do all things through God who strengthens me (Phil 4:13), I do conquer the world, a little bit each day. One day at a time.
As I walk through the woods some of you might know me well enough that I enjoy pondering on the promises of Jesus Christ. A prayer turned into a conversation as He showed me today that I too could have a disciplined and enjoyable lifestyle.
I feel like the prodigal son having been gone from the blogging world for the last almost 8 months now! Wow that is a new low! I must say discipline is just not my bag. ;)
I miss you all, my blog friends, the ever so supportive people in my life that encourage me through your own blogs.
Many things have happened since last February and there is too much to recap it all in words but I have a few pictures to give you a glimpse in our lives and feel like you were with Paul and I this whole time. But in a nutshell, Paul and I had one last presentation at Fort William Baptist Church to show the documentary for Sky and Angie Hedrick that Paul filmed and edited for 'An Eagle's Cry Life Centre'. It was a very encouraging evening for many people and we witnessed that night what Paul and I long to do for missionaries all over the world! We saw the church body become unifyed and we saw brothers and sisters in the Lord step up to the plate and Honour their Heavenly Father. What a night that was!
We slowly geared up for leaving towards Toronto with no job or place to stay in sight, only the certainty that it was time to make a step of faith in that direction.
In June I went down to Toronto with the mission of finding a job and an appartment in 1 month. I was positive it could be done regardless of the economic downfall. Indeed, God faithfully provided and here we are in Oakville, Ontario since July 2nd, thrilled to have obeyed our calling and yet sad for being so far away from great friends and wonderful family! We miss them oh so much.

So here are some pictures from the last 7 or 8 months!

Paul taking in the beauty of God's creation at Quetico Provincial Park

Lake at Quetico at Sunset! I'm so mesmerized during the sunset I forget to take a picture on time!

The Muzzin brothers with the two Steph's one last time on Avondale Place! Home Sweet Home!

Paul and Poul-Erik at the Men's Retreat

Providence

2009-02-05T23:09:00.005-05:00

Today we were at Providence Bible College and Seminary. It has been a long and exciting day representing World Team and interacting with students interested in local and global missions. I'm learning a lot about mobilization and am being introduced to an amazing community of missionary reps from all over Canada. It's so great that we'll basically be spending the next 3 days together and building gospel centred partnerships. It was a long 12 hour day and so I'm a little fried so I won't say much, but will give you a few highlights:

two amazing chapel times including worship, prayer and extremely inspirational messages from George Verwer the founder of Operation Mobilization. I am really encouraged by Mr. Verwer's vulnerability, honesty, and genuine love of Jesus Christ. I'm looking forward to hearing him speak at MissionFest this weekend. If you want to read an amazing testimony check out this link: http://www.om.org/history.html

interacting with some really interesting students from all walks of life at the mission booths, during the workshops, and at the "market place" windup party afterwards. The Market Place was an idea of introducing different cultures to the students in the context of a Market Place where they can purchase different goods and services with the "fun money" they received from each missions rep that they visited throughout the day. I'm telling you, hanging out with all these students makes me miss my college days.

My colleague, Jake ran a workshop topic on the Unborn: Protected or Exploited? Here's the summary: This workshop engages the participants through an interactive discussion on the underlying motives driving the very people that have absolute power over the unborn - their potential mothers. After this workshop, attendees re-enter everyday life with the challenge to consider what steps to take to reflect a missional approach to the plight of the unborn and their protectors/aggressors.

an amazing, free, all you can eat lunch and supper in the cafeteria

Well, there's a lot more I could say, but I thought that I would just leave you with a couple of quotes that I wrote down from George Verwer today. I hope I didn't butcher them too much, I was trying to get them down and so hopefully they contain the basic truths he conveyed. Enjoy!

"If you don't understand that God works within a culture then I dare say that you won't understand how God has been working in the last few thousand years."

"In your evangelism make sure you give the other person equal time to speak... and you should also do the same thing in your marriage."

"Whatever the Lord has given you, pass it on... [be a disciple maker]"

"[In our Christian lives] there needs to be a marriage between proclamation and social concern and action."

"Sometimes failure can be the back door to success."

Here in Manitoba

2009-02-04T00:05:00.004-05:00

Well, I arrived in Manitoba a little late today, due to a de-icing delay at the airport, but that is about the only hickup that I've had to face. This day has been really fun and enjoyable.

My friend Jacob picked me up and I'm staying and we're staying at his parents place in Steinbach while we represent World Team at Providence College, Steinbach Bible College, and Manitoba Mission Fest.

A few hours ago we had the priviledge to attend a CMC Missions board meeting. Jacob gave a field report and introduced me to the board members. I gave a short presentation about the media ministry that Steph and I will be doing with World Team. It was really overwhelming to interact with a great group of wise and humble men who love Jesus and want to help with the proclaimation of the gospel. I can't sum up the experience into words at the moment (it would take to long and I'm pretty tired) but all I can say is that this trip would be worth it just to be able to get to know Jacob a little more and talk with these guys, hear their words of wisdom, encouragement and love for Christ.

I just wanted to leave you with this section of Scripture that came to mind while the guys were discussing wisdom and our human the tendancy to be overwhelmed by a sense of inadequancy (like becoming a parent for the first time) when God lifts us up into positions of leadership. Our hope for success does not depend on our abilities, charisma, experience, or lack there of, but rather on the saving work of God. We look to Him to glorify himself through us. It is God who prepares us and puts us into these opportunties for His glory.

David said, "The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine [Goliath]."

And [Goliath] cursed David by his gods... and said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field."

Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javeline, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will deliever you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the LORDS's and he will give you into our hand." (1 Samuel 17:37, 43-47)

- Paul

(P.S. David kicks Goliath's butt)

The Wonder of Christmas!

2008-12-23T15:04:00.006-05:00

Here I am sitting in my warm and cosy home, preparing for our Christmas brunch and imagining the laughter and love that this season brings! I feel my heart explode with love and thank Jesus for giving us himself to show us what true love is! Paul and I are thrilled to be in Thunder Bay and celebrate Christmas with his family. Last year we spent Christmas in Montreal with my family. It was truly wonderful spending not only Christmas but also my 30th birthday with my family! Nonetheless,this year is very special not traveling, just spending Christmas with my in-Laws and looking forward to some quality time with my mother-In-Law! Paul and I are so blessed to be in Thunder Bay during this season of our lives!
Just two days to Christmas and the preparations are making me feel all warm and fuzzy inside: the hot chocolates, the smell of cinnamon in our house, the wrapping of the presents, the cards hung above our livingroom window as a testimony of all the friendships we have built, but mostly the shopping with my mother-in-law, sharing the wonder of Christmas together! What joy this brings to my heart!
We pray that you and yours will have a Christmas filled with Wonder!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you!

Spoken To

2008-12-18T13:12:00.002-05:00

I am sitting here pondering on the last few months where Paul and I have been searching for God’s will in Paul’s life regarding his job search and for the next job I could get that would sustain us for the remainder of our stay in Thunder Bay before we leave for Toronto, Lord Willing, in May or June\09. Much has happened since our last blog and we owe all of you an apology for our silence.

Moving on, in these past few months, Paul has been filming for the Eagle’s Cry Life Centre. He has also found some part-time work cleaning but he is still looking for another part-time job that would somehow build him up for working in his field once we arrive in Toronto. Paul has also been busy editing for a church in town. As for me well, I worked a lot. I taught French as a full time job and had different opportunities presented to me to teach French in the community and working with children at an after-school program, and also tutoring on the side. Now my question is not what will the Lord provide next but more how will he guide me in making the right decision? I don’t need to worry about that either. We are His children and are cared for unconditionally. Let me encourage you in showing you how Our Father cares for us in very mysterious ways.

Yesterday, I went to a fruit of the Spirit night at Care’s place, a powerful woman of God who is so hospitable that when you enter into her house, you feel you have entered a haven, a holy place. She has made her house a sanctuary. It was such a beautiful evening and filled with God’s love and a fellowship of women who come from different backgrounds and life experiences. It was so refreshing to the soul. Imagine sitting by a creak of water and building your roots by this creak. It makes for solid roots and no winds can affect these roots. Imagine a bond fire and a circle of women just sharing their lives, being vulnerable and when one hurts all the others gather around and help her with her burdens, carrying the load. Around a bond-fire there is also singing lifting each other up and keeping Christ the center, Christ is our fire and He ignites our hearts. Last night reminded me of Psalm 23:1-3 “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul...” Last night restored my soul and helped me to realize that I need to lie down in green pastures more often. Yesterday I witnessed (not for the first time) the Holy spirit at work. Some of these women knew my heart before I even spoke to them. What a miracle! I love it when that happens, I really feel cared for and witness God’s love in a tangible way!

I didn’t have any pictures from last night but I hope that I painted a picture that moved your hearts in some ways. So I would encourage you all to put on the Armour of God (Ephesians 6:14-18) and remember if God is for us who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)Read the Word of God. It not only refreshes, it heals our wounds, binds the broken-hearted and sets the captives free!

Today...

2008-10-06T23:12:00.005-04:00

Today was a good day. Over the last couple weeks Steph and I have been blessed to serve alongside Sky & Angie, two missionaries to the Native people group of Thunder Bay. They run "An Eagle's Cry Life Centre," building relationships and spreading the hope of Jesus with anyone who pops by. Check out their website: www.aneaglescry.org. They are extremely encouraging. I had the priviledge to sit down with Sky and hear more about his vision for ministry that flows directly out of his testimony: how Jesus' captivated his life, freed him from bondage and laid his healing power upon his soul.

At "Eagle's Cry" we had an amazing time. I think the two greatest moments for me were: seeing some 40+ people (some God haters and others Jesus followers) stand in a circle, holding hands and giving thanks for the special spagetti lunch that was offered today. The 2nd amazing moment was with William, a 70 year old homeless man suffering from arthritis. William currently lives at "The Shelter House" and shared with me part of his life story. I thoroughly enjoyed talking with him, building a friendship, and I look foward to seeing him tomorrow. Please pray he will be open the hearing the gospel as our friendship builds.

Today was also a good day because we have continued to labour for Jesus and spend time with our church's Outreach team planning and praying. It was a pleasure to see Ellie joining the team and embracing her passion to outreach to the lost in our community! Afterwards, we went to encourage Jon & Kathleen (aka The Cedars of Lebanon) as they played a set in a local coffee house. To hear more of the Cedars fo Lebanon check out: http://www.myspace.com/thecedarsoflebanon.

So Steph and I got back home around 10:00. We've been out since breakfast, and now we're feel spent. I'm drinking some tea to help fight this weird cold I've got and I am just finishing some posters for an outreach dinner event that runs on the 2nd Saturday of every month. (We're trying to do something unique for Thanksgiving and we hope it will turn out well.) Well I gotta run because I have to cut the posters and go to bed. But I have just one last thing to share:

Today is a good day... because Jesus reigns today.

The familiar faces at the Desiring God conference

2008-10-04T14:45:00.018-04:00

Hello!

We spoke to you about our experience at the Desiring God conference last week end but had no pictures posted. I must say these pictures only give you a snapshot of what our weekend was like. Unfortunately, we have no pictures of the speakers, the crowd, and our hotel room but we do have pictures of memorable moments with our friends with whom we shared this experience. I don't know if any of you ever had an adventure where you look back and said: "It would not have been the same without these people." Well, this week-end was definitely like one of those adventure; and what an adventure it was! Paul and I carpooled down to Minneapolis, a 6 hour drive across the border, with Jeff and Rich. Great conversations, great laughs, great snacks! What a great time!

Once we arrived in Minneapolis we met up with Poul-Erik and Trudi and Mackenzie-Skye. There were also another group from our church there whom we met up with at the conference. Unfortunately, we do not have pictures with them. There was Debbie, Laurie & Rob, their kids, Josh( who flew from Vancouver with some of his friends) and Sarah. We also saw Rosemary and Marvin. Imagine saving seats for about 15 people when 3485 others are looking for good seats as well! There were a few others from other churches in T-Bay who came to enjoy the fellowship and teaching time! It is so great to share this time together worshiping our Lord and Saviour, surrounded by countless others who share the same passion. What a rich experience!

One of the things that was so amazing was when we saw a familiar face in the crowd! Paul and I were talking with some friends when we saw Ed. Ed is a man who played in the Messengers group. The communication group whom Paul and I followed to Toronto in March 2007 and who introduced us to World Team, the mission organization we are with now. Yes! It was fantastic to see him and to hear about his adventures since March 2007! He has not changed one bit! Ed, it was a joy to share supper with you!

Meet Ed! Ed was volunteer for the DG conference.

We first met Ed when he came to Thunder Bay with the Messengers for a presentation.

Paul and P-E at the DG conference

Father-daughter time at the hotel in Minne. What a great pic mom!

Jeff and Mackenzie at the restaurant

Why do you get to eat and I just sit here and watch?

At the conference, Paul and Mackenzie bonded some more. It was truly priceless to see Paul with her, entertaining her. What a break it gave to Trudi!

What is that on your face?

Ha! Tricked ya! Got your nose!

...Where can I get a hat like this one?...

Howdy pretty lady!

This is our group who hung out the most together. from left to right: Trudi, Rich, Jeff, Paul, Steph and in the middle, P-E.

This picture was taken in the bookstore area. It was such a great experience and thanks to Trudi, we have great memories from that weekend. I must say, I am still wondering what was the better part of the weekend for Paul, the conference or his new found buddy, Kenzie!

With much love, we bid you goodbye...for now.

So Thankful!

2008-10-03T14:08:00.010-04:00

Boujour a tous! (Hello all)

I am blessed by a mother that looooves me, a husband that adores me and friends that bless me every single day. This is how I see God providing for me all the time! I had coffee with my friend Beth yesterday and I was blessed my socks off, as she would say! We laughed and cried and shared and it was all around beautiful to meet a new sister. It is so wonderful to meet someone, once every so often, who will touch your heart in this way! Beth you are precious and you empower people around you. Don't ever lose your passion for life! Beth is a woman with much wisdom. She does not hold back, she makes sure that what she says will edify and build. Beth is a mother to many and is viewed as a spiritual guru for many moms and moms-wanna-be! What a fierce woman and yet with a gentle spirit she moves your heart to love Jesus more every single day. Thank you Beth for that precious time with me.

Now speaking of heart, I was able to share with you about my surgery on september 20th but not how we celebrated our 2nd year! So here are some pictures to show you and no...She is not my baby girl! Although I would love to have Mackenzie-Skye as a daughter! ;) So P-E, Trudi and Mackenzie-Skye came for a visit for the afternoon\evening. It was so great to have them and you can only imagine who was the biggest entertainment! We didn't do a movie marathon this time but soon maybe we'll do one! he he! Those are the best.

Mackenzie Skye lying down on our living room floor. What a cutie-pie!

Jordie paid a visit while she was in a deep sleep...too bad he was no prince charming!

Well it wasn't much longer before Paul would befriend her! What a pair they make!

You can see who was the biggest entertainment now!

What a beautiful girl! Mackenzie-Skye you will break hearts!

As for mom and dad you will have to wait until tomorrow for their picture! P-E and Trud's, thank you so much for celebrating such a significant part of our year with us! You ahve been such a blessing to Paul and I. Continue to live the Joy of the Lord! This will without a doubt have a print on Kenzie's life!

You see this is what I mean, blessed all around! I hope you feel just as blessed as we do!

What are friends for?

2008-10-01T08:33:00.003-04:00

Last night we had our ladies Bible studies Kick off night! It was a blast! Not only did we do a fashion show but we all had the opportunity to listen to Heather talk on our wild hearts and how we have a perfectly tended pasture offered to us, but like mustangs we all ere towards the wilderness where we don't have to answer to anybody, yet again, we have no one to take care of us either. Well, If you know me, you would know this talk spoke to me. First, because I am like a mustang, wild at heart, adventurous, making my life difficult by doing everything on my own and always looking for the long way home. Second, because I LOVE horses!
Last night touched my heart because she reminded me that I don't have to face the storms of life on my own, and that crying out to Jesus for help is a sign of strength, not weakness. Letting go of what I know best, myself and clinging to Him.

You see if you knew Heather that would have touched you too because, like me she is wild at heart but loves Jesus. She went through storms and not without struggles but came out victorious! Heather is very dear to me. She needed hip surgery this year and is now enjoying her new hip. But not without hardship! But she hung on to her Savior and let go of herself, knowing her own weakness. She used to horseback ride and ADORES it! Yet she had to go 4 yrs without ridding because of her hips. Yes! I did say HIPS! She is on the waiting list for her next hip replacement.
I want to head to what many have said before her and cling to my Savior, "to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us..."
Have a beautiful day!

A weekend filled with Fellowship!

2008-09-30T08:33:00.002-04:00

Paul and I came back late Sunday, refreshed spiritually and yet there was this feeling of exhaustion from taking so much in and being surrounded by 3500 people for 2 days. Wow! It seemed longer than that! What a wonderful experience to fellowship with so many people. It was a time of renewed perspective, spiritual growth and so much laughter. I don't think I laughed like that in a looong time! I don't mean to rub it in, Desley. I would encourage anyone who would like to hear the speakers to go on the desiring God website at www.desiringgod.org and check the speakers out as they podcast the teachings. They were incredibly enjoyable and yet they spoke right to my heart! Every speaker had their purpose there this weekend.
Unfortunately, we don't have pictures yet to put up, but as soon as we get some we will put some up. It was such a blast to share our very first experience at a desiring God conference with about about 10-15 others from Thunder Bay. Beth, we saw Al and his wife, along with Dennis and Maureen! It was so neat!
Paul and I were able to connect with the head of Desiring God for the media ministry and to talk with them a little. That was awesome! And if you knew us at all you would know that Paul and I found a few books to bring back. On our way back to Thunder Bay, I heard myself ask Paul, "where will we put these books?" and he answered, " I guess we'll have to buy another book shelf!" ;-0 It was a Desiring God conference after all!

So nice to share our experience with you! We encourage you to check out our new memory verse on the right hand side, it will be on there for 1 week! We would challenge you to equip your heart and your mind with Scripture! Enjoy!

We Are OFF!

2008-09-26T00:17:00.002-04:00

Here we go! Leaving for Minneapolis, Minnesota. Off to hear some awesome speakers at The Desiring God Conference. Paul and I have tried to make this conference every year for the last 4 years. So This is a very exciting trip! Paul and I feel bathed in love by everyone around us. It is so wonderful having such wonderful friends and family, who care and take time for us and sharpen us in our faith. We appreciate you all very much! We are seeking to grow in the Love and Grace of our Lord for one day be the ones to encourage, strengthen and equip others.
Have a wonderful weekend!

Old Photo, New Packaging

2008-09-25T00:19:00.003-04:00

Steph wanted me to post our latest prayer card/photo that is geared more towards children. We were asked to create something that the Sunday school teachers at our church could pin up in their class rooms. I hope this is okay. I just finished it an hour ago...

Marching in a Victory Processional

2008-09-24T23:33:00.005-04:00

I just wanted to share what I read from the Bible today and give a quick thought.

"You ascended on high,
leading a host of captives in your train
and receiving gifts from among men,
even among the rebellious, that the
LORD God may dwell there."

"Blessed be the Lord,
who daily bears us up;
God is our salvation.
Our God is a God of salvation,
and to GOD, the Lord, belong
deliverances from death."

(from Psalm 68:18-20)

As I reflected it struck me that Jesus is described as leading a host of captives in a truimphant procession. The imagery is that of a great warrior king being welcomed home after bringing a decisive victory over the enemy and we are described as a host of captives. We had no part of our deliverance. We are captives. I was bound and enslaved in sin, but Christ triumphed over death and sin and gives me new life. That's amazing!

Biblical Christianity is not just some religion out there. Christianity is about being freed and having a relationship with the Deliverer and King. It is about love: Jesus steadfast love that is never ending. Here is the reality of my life: I was a rebellious sinner against God, I didn't love God but had a self-centred heart that dishonoured and spit at God; but Jesus lives the perfect life that I can never life; Jesus dies for my sins of yesturday, today, and tomorrow; he is raised to life; he rescues me, forgives me, and offers me new life; patiently he helps me stop sinning and live the life I should be living, he gives me a new heart that loves God; and he pours out his love and grace for all time. That's a true demonstration of Love.

I invite and encourage you to trust in Jesus Christ for freedom of your sin and lean on him day by day for fresh living water. Jesus' grace and mercy are new every day, he "bears us up." He is our salvation; not money, or people, or science, God is our salvation and to him belong deliverances from death. It is only fitting that you and I should praise, adore and love him more and more each day.

- Paul

Refreshed

2008-09-23T22:29:00.005-04:00

Today, Paul and I were able to connect for "coffee" at Timmy's before meeting with friends. That was refreshing and it reminded me of what the Lord promises us; among other things, that He is the source of living water. That we go to Him for our rest. When I spend time with Paul, it is rejuvenating. Then when we met with our friends, they encouraged us and reminded us that no matter our circumstances that our God is a Good God! That was refreshing...and then the highlight of my day: I phoned my mother and chatted with her. Now that is always refreshing! But what is most refreshing of all is reading a peace of scripture that brings your spirit to a quite place like in psalm 23. "He will lead me in green pastures, He will lead me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul..." Well yesterday, I read a passage that restored my soul and brought me back to that place of rest:

"I saw the Lord always before me.
Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will live in hope, because you will not abandon me to the grave,
nor will you let your Holy One see decay.
You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence." (Acts 2: 25-28)

Because our Great God gave up His Son so we can spend eternal life with Him gives hope and rest to our soul! Since we have a God who keeps His promises, we can trust that He will keep His promise that He will never leave us nor forsake us!

I want to tie this in with a friend of mine who gave birth on August 31st. I want to encourage Sarah that her little man, Owen can hold on to these promises in Acts 2:25-28. I love you girl and wish the best for both you and Jeremy in your first steps of parenting! Hey...take heart your one step ahead of us! ;p

Meet Sarah, the day before she gave birth to a beautiful boy!

This is a reminder to all of us that God has gone ahead of us on our journey, whatever that may be.

A walk on the town!

2008-09-22T22:58:00.007-04:00

Our day was filled with great conversations, encouragement from a friend and a very uplifting phone call with one of the World Team board of directors. Thank you! It is nice to personally contact the people who voted us in their organization! It is nice to touch base with people and to share our joys of ministry with each one of them! Our day was also filled with one unforgettable unpredictable event: at around 7:00 p.m. this evening, Paul's mom called and asked Paul if he could help her find her dog, a beautiful black lab cross. It turns out her back gate was opened and when she put her outside, Zoe slipped out and left the backyard. How dreadful that was! But something amazing happened...something one would only hope to see in movies. While Donna and Paul were out looking for Zoe, I was teaching French in our basement. All of a sudden, I hear panting coming from our backyard. I went upstairs and opened our backdoor, and what to my surprise do I see, but a beautiful black lab looking at me as if she was saying "let me in". I look around to see if Donna or Paul are around but they are nowhere in sight. Suddenly it dawned on me that Zoe took a walk on the town and found our house (which is located 45 minutes from Donna's place)! So I called Paul on our cell phone and he could not believe his ears either! Of course she had been here before but I was still floored that she found her way to our house 2 hours later! What a party animal!

Meet Zoe focused and calm...

This is Zoe at her high energy level peek! Here, she is intensively involved in a ball game.

Zoe, no matter how you come you are simply precious to us all! We love you and are so glad you found your way back to us safely!

The beauty of accountability

2008-09-21T22:37:00.011-04:00

Less than a week ago, I called a person I had been praying for this summer. I wanted to encourage her heart. It turns out she encouraged me! Isn't it awesome when God gives you exactly what you need through someone else...He works wonders like that. We were chatting and I told her that I lacked discipline in regards to blogging. She encouraged me and told me what I had to do was to post a blog the next morning and make a point of blogging regularly. So I did, I woke up, read my Bible and took time to blog before my day started.

At the end of my day, I went to check my blog and sure enough she had left me a message. Then, I went to her blog (as she blogs every single day) to read hers and there it was before my eyes: a message about my husband and I and to my surprise, she wrote the link to our blog for everyone to see. My accountability had grown in spades overnight! Yikes! that is scary! however, I must say I am reaping the rewards ever since. Everyday, I have one, two and sometimes three comments. It is so exciting to see that people are reading my blogs! But what topped it was her blog entry from today. After sharing about my 2nd year anniversary from heart surgery yesterday on our blog, she made a beautiful-scrapbook for Paul and I! What a gal! Beth, you are one of a kind. That touched Paul and I and really brought home what a beautiful family we have in Jesus! Thanks a million!

And speaking of God's family... There are two new beautiful additions to our family at Fort William Baptist Church. Kaj Joseph Frederick Joshua Lindeman, brother of Riley, Hugo and Ceighan (I apologize for any spelling mistakes ;)) was born on Friday September 19th. Also, Jeremy John Balek, brother of Bradley was born Thursday. Unfortunately, I don't have pictures for Jeremy John yet but here meet Kaj... ( Pete, I took these from Facebook, hope you don't mind).

Kaj, you are so beautiful! Congratulations Pete & Alicia!

Ryleigh, you are such a wonderful big sister! Keep going girl!

Here is the Brady Bunch! What a beautiful family!

Paul and I are honoured to know both families! You are so precious to us!

2nd Year anniversary!

2008-09-20T21:53:00.010-04:00

Yeah! so today Paul and I are celebrating my second year anniversary from my heart surgery...This time 2 years ago I was laying in ICU after open heart surgery and Paul was faithfully by my side along with my mom, my two sisters, my brother-in-law and a lovely niece! Well my nice wasn't quite by my side as it would be a traumatic experience and she would never wish to see me again. ;) I am not only grateful for that hurdle the Lord has carried us through but I am grateful for every single day He has given me since I was born. I am extremely grateful for my mother and father who raised me with such tender hearts and with a vision without limits. They have always told me I could do whatever I desired, raising me with gentleness and trying to channel my wild passionate heart and giving me direction. My sisters were instrumental in my becoming the person I am today. My eldest sister, Marie-Claire, taught me every name of every NHL team and what city they corresponded to since I was about 6 yrs old! And now everybody wonders why I chose outdoor recreation as a career. Blame it on her! Just kidding M-C! Dominique on her part can take pride in having taught me and continues to teach me how to truly listen to people and to love them. Both of them taught me how to put others first! Merci les filles! I love you so much.

God has placed these wonderful people in my life to teach me many things...and many things I continue to learn. I am thankful for my husband and the love he has for me and for my in-laws who show only kindness and camaraderie!
God has brought me to the Church family who has carried me through prayer in all those years as well! There are so many things to be thankful for and today I wish to ponder on such things that brings a glad heart!

I love you all and I consider myself blessed!

Paul and I at the hospital after my surgery. What a supportive husband I have! I Love you Paul!

My sister Marie-Claire with my ever so precious niece Emma Claude, my sister Dominique and me.

My Mom cheering after another successful surgery! My mom and I we are like two pees in a pod, if only we could live in the same city! Boy we would both like that very much!

Paul and I with my mom and Richard. Thank you so much for the wonderful hospitality! Love you both very much.

While our church family was praying back in Thunder Bay, others visited. Meet Dave and Gerri! They are wonderful and encouraged both Paul and I by visiting us 1 hour North of Montreal! When you can't be with your church family, they come to you! Thank you so much Dave and Gerri! This meant so much to us!

As you can see, Paul and I do not lack the support. We are ever so grateful and continue to thank our Great God for His amazing love!

The Saga continues...

2008-09-18T09:59:00.012-04:00

Yesterday, I mentioned a wedding Paul and I went to in the Greater Toronto Area on Labor Day weekend. Matt and Andrea were joined together on August 30th! What a beautiful day that was. Here are some pictures as my ever so thoughtful brother-in-law (Peter) installed them on my hard-drive. Thanks Pete! Allow me to specify that all of the pictures that will be posted here from Labor day weekend are mostly taken by our friend JJ since the camera we brought lacked in battery power before the wedding!

Paul and I and a few others were staying at Andrea's parents place before the wedding! What great hosts they were! I was amazed how everything seemed under control and yet Andrea's mom, Evelyn, sowed the dresses for the brides maids and the flower girls, of which there was a total of nine! But that is not all, she sowed every napkin holder as well and made sure before the wedding that we all had meals to eat, and Paul and Evelyn both took time to get to know us and care for us! I know I must have forgotten other details they put together. I think what amazed me most was how it all seemed very manageable for both of them. As for me I love organizing an event but being more of a big picture girl, details seem to pass me by. Let me give you a glimpse of what the week end looked like!

This is Andrea (the bride) and I the day before the big one!

These are the napkin holders that Evelyn (Andrea's mom) sowed. Evelyn discovered the art of delegation and so I had such a great time folding napkins in an artistic kind of way! I didn't realize how therapeutic it could be!

Here she is! This is Evelyn. I don't think I need to tell you that is the only picture of her. Working away! meanwhile, JJ, Paul (my Husband), and Dan (Andrea's brother) were being artsy themselves!

There were handsome groomsmen surrounding the radiant groom....(Paul, A.J., Matt(Groom), Paul Aurich, and JJ. Sharing in his very joyful day...

There were beautiful little flower girls.....This is Alicia, Andrea's niece. There were three others.

And there there was the whole party! Andrea looked breathtakingly beautiful!

Needless to say Paul and I had a great time together and with our friends. Rejoicing in each other's union is so refreshing.... I had a great time sharing this weekend with you today and hope you enjoy taking part in our little adventures!

Refiner's Fire!

2008-09-18T09:59:00.011-04:00

Since our last blog, Paul and I have worked on our deputation, preparing the mission work that Jesus has laid on our hearts. We went to Toronto for a wedding. Paul's friend Matt got married to Andrea and Paul had the privilege to be by Matt's side for his big day. What a great time that was! We arrived on the Thursday and left on the Monday of Labour day weekend. (There would be pictures but they are all on my brother-in-law's computer so there are still yet to come.) This trip was filled with good times and friends. Let's see, while Matt and Andrea were getting married, our friend Sarah was expecting. As she was a little late, she and her husband Jeremy made it to the wedding and were able to join in the festivities. Well it turned out that Sarah gave birth while we were still in Toronto on the Sunday! Welcome to this world Owen Josiah!

On Sunday, Paul and I were privileged to attend The Sanctuary Milton for Worship and to share with them our vision for ministry. It was such a great time to meet new people and to really connect with the Pastor Jim Danielson and his beautiful family!

As we are preparing for full-time ministry, it is pressed on our hearts how we need to pray for a home and a church family in the Greater Toronto Area. It can be overwhelming to make these decisions but it is so comforting that we are not alone in it and God promises to take care of us as He refers to the birds of the air in Matthew 6:26: "Look at the birds of the air;they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable then they?"

As Christians we are being refined every day until the coming of Christ. At this time in our lives, the Lord is definitely preparing us for the next step in our lives. However, in the meantime, I desire to live fully and embrace each day, as each day was given to us not to waste but to cherish and make the most of it!

It's been a while

2008-08-20T00:59:00.002-04:00

Sorry we haven't written recently. We have been quite busy, and I know that this is no excuse. I guess we haven't really perfected the discipline of blogging.

Last month we were helping with our church's Summer Bible Conference. D.A. Carson was the key speaker teaching from Hebrews. It was an extremely busy time, and even a trying time (the AV system crashed the 2nd morning of the conference) but Steph and I really enjoyed seeing our friends, hearing the word of God, and learning more and more about ourselves.

During this time we also were shooting a short documentary about 2 Christian couples, one from Romania and the other from the 1st Nations. I'm currently editing it and should have it done shortly. I was just going through some footage and was hit by the huge privilege that I have to communicate these unique and powerful stories of God working in and through their lives. Sometimes it can be difficult sitting in front of a computer (especially when we're having amazingly beautiful weather right now in Thunder Bay) but I am really finding it a joy to sit hear listening, and re-listening to honest and powerful stories about our Living God. It's really something : )

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-10T20:34:00.005-04:00

Since Heather is on vacation during Mother's Day, Brynn, Graeme, & Megan wanted to post something for their mom to read while in California. Enjoy!

We're Alive!

2008-05-10T19:57:00.006-04:00

This last week has been fantastic. Stephanie and I have been really blessed to take care of Brynn, Graeme, and Megan. It's been a huge learning curve for the two of us non-parents. I guess you don't really understand the work, effort, and joy that it takes to raise kids until you are thrust into it. I have found myself excitedly anticipating their after school arrival on the bus. I think that we'll find it a little difficult leaving when Al & Heather get back, especially when we're just starting to understand the sister-brother-sister relational dynamics. These kids are really dear to us. I have found our evening prayer and devotional time to be my favourite. It has been a privilege to be here for our friends; to be trusted for the physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being of their children.

- Paul

Today, Stephanie and I accompanied the kids as they went horseback riding. I don't think I'll walk right for a week!

Yesterday: My brother, Graeme, myself, and Luke went paint-balling with the guys from my church for some male-bonding, let's shoot each other kinda fun.

2008-05-03T19:56:00.002-04:00

Stephanie took this picture of Graeme, Megan, and I earlier today as I attempted to give them both a piggy back ride. Steph and I are taking care of the kids (and their sister Brynn not seen here) for the next 10 days while their parents are on vacation.

Pics from Easter continued

2008-04-17T12:50:00.003-04:00

Stephanie and I on Easter Sunday!

My two brothers, Daniel and Peter.

The Dudes, Marco, Al, Luker, Jeff, Poul-Eric.

The Ladies: Trudi, Shannon, Heather, Brynn, Nancy, (Luker, Poul-Eric)

Lindsay doing dishes.

This entire day was a great time. Everyone pitched in. Trudi brought the potatoes, Al bought the ham, Brynn made a cheesecake, and Shannon & Nancy brought Salads. The guys cut the turkey for me and made the best gravy ever. Steph arranged an Egg Hunt in for the kids! It was awesome.

Pics from Easter

2008-04-17T12:22:00.005-04:00

Some pics from Easter. Our friend Luke was helping us cook the evening before. In total we had 2 turkeys, a whole lot of stuffing stuffing, 1 ham, perogies, cabbage rolls, yams, steamed asparagus, mashed potatoes, sea food & caesar salad, and a collection of deserts.

The Heaven's Declare the Glory of God!

2008-03-11T21:40:00.009-04:00

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.
There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world...
(Psalm 19:1-4)

Sorry that it has been such a long time since we have blogged last. I just wanted right now to share with you the amazing spectacle that God displayed on Sunday at 2:00 am. (sorry that they are a little blurry, I was caught without my tripod)

2008-02-01T00:14:00.000-05:00

Thanks be to God who is faithfull and has gone before us to do His good works! This past weekend we experienced the dryness, the fatigue, the restlessness but also, God's deliverance, His compassion, His faithfulness to see us through it all! What a God of wonders! Paul and I had our first presentation for our church family on Sunday. We experienced God in a very real way! Our leaders prayed over us for our deputation and Paul and I both feel like we are soaking in His grace and have a great peace about our ministry and God's timing through it all. Our church family is thrilled with what God is doing in our lives. They liked our presentation and gave us very good feedback. I have some new ideas on how to improve it and am very excited for our next one.

We must thank you all for supporting us so well and encouraging us with your prayers. We also want to thank our family at World Team for all the materials that helped us in our slide show, for all the prayers, the display banner and all the time you are investing in us!

Here are some prayer requests we have:

1- Continue to keep us in prayer for our newsletter that we need to put together by the end of this week.

2- We would also need prayer for our closeness to Jesus and a continual mutual support between Paul and I, that we would be unified like the Apostle Paul writes in Romans 15:5-6!

3-Pray also that we would develop a reasonalbe strategy for our deputation and that God would bless us in our preparations.

4- That we would persevere and that God would give us strength to run the race of faith. slow steady, like a longdistance race, keeping our eyes on the goal: Heaven with Jesus.

Thank you all for investing in our lives!

In Christ We Stand,

Stephanie

2008-02-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

Wow... this last month has been a really crazy time. Sorry for not posting anything sooner. Two days after Stephanie and I returned from Quebec my Grandfather Harry Slonski fell ill and went into the hospital. On January 6, 2008 my Grandfather passed away. Needless to say, we were busy supporting my mom and helping her with the funeral arrangements. I praise God that Stephanie and I have had the opportunity to share the gospel with my grandfather and that there is some indication that he put his trust in Christ the night before he died. At his request, we had a funeral service through the Roman Catholic Church. I had the opportunity to pick the scripture verses and was just blown away by how Christ centred and gospel oriented the message was. We are also very thankful for our church family with all their support. Since then we have been really busy working through our deputation with World Team, but I will let Steph tell all about that...

- Paul

2007-12-28T23:13:00.001-05:00

Stephanie blowing out her candles. She turned the big 3-Oh yesterday.

We take a break from skiing for a quick photo shoot on top of Mont Blanc, Quebec.

2007-12-25T13:42:00.000-05:00

"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior,
who is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:11)

Merry Christmas to all of you!

Here we are, in Montreal, celebrating Christmas with my family (Steph). Last night (December 24^th) we had a very scrumptious meal with my sister Marie-Claire, my brother-in-law, Will, their children Emma (4 ½) and Sabri (4 months), my mother, Michèle, and her husband, Richard. We arrived on December 19^th, almost a week ago, and since then Paul and I have gotten more acquainted with our niece and nephew. We are very blessed to be here in Montreal celebrating the birth of our King. We have been able to catch up on our sleep, rest and play and read plenty of books about princesses! And this does not include the last minute shopping!

The Lord has shown me himself through Scripture on this trip. I was reading the Gospel accounts about the birth of Christ and encountered the Peace of my salvation in these Scriptures! Matthew starts with Jesus’ history and family tree, while Luke focuses on the coming of the Christ with John the Baptist’s birth. Mark skips directly to Jesus’ ministry and John takes on a different point of view and gives us the beginning of time when Jesus was and was to come. John almost starts with a prophesy of Jesus’ coming. No matter what Gospel you read, it points to Jesus’ birth and purpose for the salvation of sinners. I know that this is what the Gospels are all about and it may seem bizarre to point out, but in this Christmas season it opened my eyes to Jesus as the ‘I AM’, the One spoken of by the prophets, the Promise and the one showing us he keeps His Word with the Truth.

"'Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call him Immanuel' which means God with us." (Matthew 1:23)

Glory be to Our God and Saviour: Merry Christmas!

Love,

Steph and Paul

2007-12-09T22:17:00.000-05:00

Over the last several weeks Stephanie and I have been pondering our future ministry as missionaries with World Team. We have been especially thankful for the encouragement we have received from the Missions Committee at our local church.

It is also remarkable how much we have to learn throughout this deputation of support raising. This process can be daunting at times when facing the task of raising our financial support; it has honesty been overwhelming at times. And so, each day we need to seek the Lord and wait upon Him. This morning was no exception. I have not understood God's timing in having us start out during the busiest time of the year. So... why then would God have us start our deputation now?

Well... here is the answer that I received this morning during quiet time and prayer with God: in our day to day life we must always keep focused on Jesus Christ. Life is not about us. We are not to be self absorbed. It is not about our ministry. We must keep the main thing the main thing: Jesus Christ and his incarnation, life, death, and resurrection.

So here we are, in the beginning stages of our ministry and we are providentially starting it with Christmas. This is no coincidence. We are celebrating God's promised messiah coming to this little blue dot in the universe to redeem human kind from sin and reconcile us with the Father of Lights. What perfect timing, after all, we have been called to

"Love the LORD our God with all your heart and with all uour soul and with all your mind and with all of your strength." (Mark 12:30)

It is the love and grace of Jesus Christ that is to motivate us in all we do and to drive us to love our neighbours as ourselves. And what greater act of love is there than to share the salvation and hope and peace that comes through faith in trusting Jesus Christ and the redemptive work he has accomplished on the cross.

The Cross of Christ must always be our focus. It must always be our centre. The cross of Jesus Christ is the culmination of God's grace, mercy, and love for all people. The cross of Christ is the very reason why and how we can love the LORD with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Without God's plan of redemption through Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the cross Christmas would be in vain. Without the death and resurrection of the Prince of Peace we would still be enemies of God. And this all starts with Christmas.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, ut whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. (John 3:16-18)

For if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To God be the glory forever. Amen. (Romans 12:36)

2007-11-19T20:15:00.001-05:00

I’m sitting in Toronto Pearson Airport waiting for our flight to board. We just finished breakfast consisting of overpriced fruit and a croissant, recapping all the events that transpired this weekend. This whole weekend seems a blur. Let’s see… driving back and forth between World Team’s office and the Richards' house; having dinner with the Board of Directors; putting together WT information packages; attending WT’s annual dinner and making a ministry presentation; meeting different missionaries from around the globe; going to Bradford to meet with Bill and Michele Allan to discuss our future development with World Team, and fitting time to meet with friends and share with them our future ministry with World Team.

It all started on Friday morning in Thunder Bay. It seems that every time we travel we always seem to go to bed late. We set our alarm clock for 5:00AM, giving us more than enough time to wakeup and catch our 6:30 flight to Toronto. Even with the sleep I got that night I felt surprisingly rested until I realized that I was awaken by Steph’s exclamation: “It’s 7:20! We missed our flight!”

So after a moment of sheer frustration and double checking our clock we determined that this was NOT mere human error, but spiritual warfare. Our alarm was set correctly, there was no power outage, and we couldn’t sleep through it because it was set to the radio. When we called Air Canada to our surprise all their computer systems were down. Was it really this possible that Satan didn’t want us meeting the Board of Directors of World Team.

We made our way to the airport and discovered that even with the national delay of air travel, we still missed our plane by about 20 minutes. At this point all we could do was laugh. And to God’s grace, we were switched to an afternoon flight at no charge… because all the computers were down. God was reminding us that this was not the unravelling of his plan, but its unfolding.

After passing security it also became evident that we needed to be in the terminal at that time. We met our friend Sarah’s uncle while in that airort. I haven’t seen him for nearly a year, and he filled us in with his family and the story of his daughter’s battle with cancer. God’s timing humbled us completely, and allowed us to try to provide encouragement through our testimony and our pastor’s struggle with cancer. We were also convicted to bring this prayer request back to Fort William Baptist Church after our weekend.

Shortly after, I got on a 10:00 fight while on standby. Stephanie opted to stay until the afternoon flight. Unbeknownst to me, Stephanie got on a flight 30 minutes later and we would quickly be in Toronto. It was only in Toronto that I would hear of God’s amazing grace yet again from Stephanie. When Steph arrived, she shared how she and another passenger received seats through standby. From what we were told this is quite unique for Air Canada to have 2 people sitting on standby to get flights on a fully booked plane. This was no coincidence. This man was returning to Kingston from a business trip, and as Stephanie and he started talking, the Holy Spirit paved the way for Steph to share her faith and the gospel with him. Yet again, God’s purpose prevails and another seed was possibly planted for the Kingdom and we were rejoicing that our little inconvenience could lead to experiencing God in new and wonderful ways.

- Paul

One Year Later...

2007-09-20T22:53:00.000-04:00

Hello to all of you!

I am excited today to share with you a big news! 
It is Paul and I's 1st anniversary of my surgery
to the very day! :-) Why it is Paul's? because
it has been a trial for both of us last year,
in two very different ways. For 2 months or more
Paul had to deny himself and take care of me,
with the help of our folks of course. I want to
thank all of you for your constant thoughts and
concern for me and for supporting Paul through
this while i wasn't quite awake yet to encourage
him. Most of you have been present throughout
this past year whether in body or in thought, but
you were there nonetheless! THANK YOU! I Praise
God for you all for without you and of course,
without our Savior we would not be where we are
today. Everyone and many more (whom I don't have
the e-mail in this account), have impacted us in
many ways this past year. I wanted to share with
you how thankful I am for this new valve, this
new heart that was given to me as a gift and share
in the Joy and Awe that I can get back into the
groove of my active lifestyle! Wow how God's timing
has been perfect through it all!

Thank you Jesus for without you, this would not
have been possible!

Je m'excuse pour ceux et celles qui aimeraient
me lire en français, je vous savais bilingue et
non les anglophones!

Stéphanie